Saturday, August 30, 2003
Few people would think of Central Michigan as a concentration of innovation and technology. However, a group of seven research, economic development and academic institutions are working together to grow technology companies.
The Central Michigan Research Alliance includes: Middle Michigan Development Corp., Midland Economic Development Council, Saginaw Future, Inc., Central Michigan University Research Corp., Michigan Molecular Institute, and Saginaw Valley State University.
None of these are household names, but together they form a more effective network.
For example, the Alliance is conducting some sophisticated workshops that illustrate the point. In mid-July, the Alliance sponsored a forum that explored "cost control and revenue generation through the use of innovative business intelligence techniques".
Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site:
Here's the link if you are a bloglines subscriber:
Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
Download some background information on me here.
Central Michigan Research Alliance continues to develop
